David’s Song of Deliverance
And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song, on the day the LORD delivered him from the palm of all his enemies, and from the palm of Saul.
And he said: “The LORD is my crag, and my stronghold, and my deliverer —
the God of my rock; I take refuge in him. My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower and my refuge; my savior — you save me from violence.
I call on the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.
For the breakers of death surrounded me; the torrents of worthlessness terrified me.
The cords of Sheol encircled me; the snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I call on the LORD; to my God I call — and he hears my voice from his temple, and my cry for help is in his ears.
And the earth shook and quaked; the foundations of the heavens trembled — they shook, because it burned in him.
Smoke went up from his nostrils, and fire from his mouth devoured; coals blazed from him.
And he bent the heavens and came down, with thick darkness under his feet.
And he rode on a cherub and flew; he was seen on the wings of the wind.
And he set darkness around him as shelters — a gathering of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
From the brightness before him, coals of fire blazed.
The LORD thundered from the heavens; the Most High gave his voice.
And he sent arrows and scattered them — lightning, and threw them into panic.
And the channels of the sea were seen; the foundations of the world were uncovered — at the rebuke of the LORD, at the breath of the wind of his nostrils.
He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.
He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me — for they were mightier than I.
They confronted me on the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
And he brought me out into the broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
The LORD repays me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he returns to me.
For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not done wickedly against my God.
For all his judgments are before me; and his statutes — I do not turn aside from them.
And I was blameless toward him, and I kept myself from my iniquity.
And the LORD has returned to me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness before his eyes.
With the loyal you show yourself loyal; with the blameless mighty man you show yourself blameless;
with the pure you show yourself pure — and with the crooked you show yourself twisted.
And a lowly people you save; but your eyes are on the exalted, to bring them down.
For you are my lamp, O LORD; and the LORD lights up my darkness.
For by you I run at a raiding band; by my God I leap over a wall.
This God — his way is blameless; the word of the LORD is refined. He is a shield to all who take refuge in him.
For who is God besides the LORD? And who is a rock besides our God?
This God is my strong fortress, and he sets the blameless free on his way.
He makes my feet like the deer’s, and on my high places he makes me stand.
He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
And you have given me the shield of your salvation, and your answering has made me great.
You widen my steps under me, and my ankles have not given way.
I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, and I did not turn back until they were finished.
And I finished them, and shattered them, and they do not rise; they fell under my feet.
And you girded me with strength for the battle; you made those who rose against me bow beneath me.
And my enemies — you gave me their neck; those who hated me, and I silenced them.
They look, and there is no savior — to the LORD, and he does not answer them.
And I ground them like the dust of the earth; like the mud of the streets I crushed them, I stamped them down.
And you delivered me from the disputes of my people; you kept me as head of nations; a people I had not known serves me.
Sons of the foreigner cringe before me; at the hearing of the ear, they obey me.
Sons of the foreigner wither, and come girded out of their strongholds.
The LORD lives! And blessed be my rock; and exalted be God, the rock of my salvation —
the God who gives me vengeance, and brings down peoples beneath me,
and brings me out from my enemies. You lift me high above those who rise against me; from the man of violence you deliver me.
Therefore I will give you thanks among the nations, O LORD, and I will sing praise to your name:
a tower of salvation for his king — doing loyal love for his anointed, for David and for his seed, forever.”